Seated Sketch of Charlie Parker 1933

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Seated Sketch of Charlie Parker" from 1933, a small pencil drawing at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels very intimate, almost like a private glimpse. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I'm intrigued by how this sketch participates in the academic tradition of life drawing, a common practice for artistic training. Do you think the artist’s focus on the sitter’s form overshadows questions of representation and power during that period? Editor: That's a great point! I was so focused on the sketch's immediacy, I missed the broader social context. Curator: Exactly. Consider how artistic institutions used life drawing to reinforce certain ideals. This work provides an interesting lens through which we can examine those historical power dynamics. Editor: I’ll definitely look at life drawings differently now. Thanks!